


Paris Holds the Key (But my Love Waits There In San Francisco)

by elletromil



Series: The sound of the whistle 'cross radio wires (I finally found you) [1]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Fluff, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, You know whose
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 10:16:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9067363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/pseuds/elletromil
Summary: Richard remembered reading something one time about how the rate of soulmates finding each other defied all the odds, all logic.
  And while scientifically it had been right, it hadn’t taken into account the nature of the bonds themselves.Unexplainable.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cody_Thomas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cody_Thomas/gifts).



> Here's the first chapter of the Percilot story set in my soulmates verse where the songs that get stuck in your head are the one your soulmate are singing out loud. The idea of this verse was Nikkiwhitecraft's and I've been lucky enough to be aloud to play with it. For this story, the basic plot of Percival singing songs about the city he's on a mission for was from Cody_Thomas.
> 
> I didn't put the Character Death warning because if you know me at all, you know where this story is leading in the second part.
> 
> I hope you enjoy :D

Richard remembered reading something one time about how the rate of soulmates finding each other defied all the odds, all logic.

And while scientifically it had been right, it hadn’t taken into account the nature of the bonds themselves.

_Unexplainable._

Who knew why the songs that get stuck into your head were the ones your soulmates was singing miles away from you? Who knew how it came to be? Who knew why it only started once your soulmate had reached maturity?

No one had answers to these questions and very few cared about said questions.

So what if it defied the odds? There was still some who never find their soulmates and yet they didn’t live unhappily.

Finding your soulmate wasn’t even a guaranty of true lasting love, everyone gave their bond different meanings. Even if, yes, the most frequent was romantic.

But, no matter if a romantic relationship would blossom out of his bond or only deep friendship, Richard wanted to find his soulmate.

He knew they were younger, had to be since he had yet to hear him, but since Richard was in his twenties, his soulmate had to be hearing him.

Of course there wasn’t a sure way to find your soulmate, but Richard was smart and well songs could easily be meant as messages.

At first, he had sing mostly to convey how he would be feeling that day, finding songs appropriate to his state of mind. He never thought his soulmate wouldn’t understand, because what would be the point of them being soulmates in that case?

Then when he had become Percival and started being sent all over the world, he had come up with a plan that was so simple he didn’t understood why no one had thought of it before.

Sure, it demanded a bit of research to find an appropriate song, but it was fun, a good distraction when he needed a break from a mission’s research.

And so, on his first solo mission, as soon as he boarded the plane he started to sing.

_My love waits there in San Francisco_  
_Above the blue and windy sea_  
_When I come home to you, San Francisco_  
_Your golden sun will shine for me_

His soulmate might not be able to get there, especially if he was still a teenager, but he would at least know where Richard was headed.

*

After that first mission it became another routine.

Richard would find all the songs that was to do with the city he would be in and sing them on the plane there and then, anytime it wouldn’t compromise his mission.

_One Night in Bangkok_  
_A Rainy Night in Rio_  
_Road to Cairo_  
_Bells of Berlin_

And when he would come back he made sure to sing _London Calling_ a few times. It wouldn’t do for his soulmate to know where he was headed in his travels but not where he lived.

Sometimes, he got sent to places that had no songs for them, or at least none that he could sing except by mangling it beyond any recognition. In these times instead, he would settle on songs about travelling, just to let them know he wouldn’t be home.

*

“I know what you are doing,” was the first thing Merlin told him when he walked into the handler office to give him back the gear he had used on his mission.

Richard frowned because he usually made sure to stay on Merlin’s good side. Sure there were some pranks here and there, but he would make sure to pair up with Galahad for those so that the older agent would suffer the brunt of Merlin’s anger. They both knew what he was doing of course, but Merlin thought him resourceful for it and Galahad was more than used to Merlin’s temper and find it was a small price to pay in exchange of making fun of his friend.

However, this time around, Merlin wasn’t frowning his usual frown, in fact, he looked rather amused.

“I must say it’s rather ingenious, I’ve never heard of someone doing this,” Merlin went on, not realising the confusion the agent was still in. “Have they caught on? Are they doing the same? Or maybe they were the one who came up with the idea?”

Finally it all made sense. Merlin was talking about the songs he would sing for his soulmates. He wasn’t entirely surprised that the handler had caught on what he was doing, especially since he had handled his last three missions given their high priority level, but he hadn’t think he would be bold enough to mention it so openly.

Not that soulmates where a secret matter, but Merlin gave off that impression of being a rather private man and well, soulmates were one of the most private subject of all.

But at the same time, all of Merlin’s friends were Knight, who were all different degree of little shits that had no understanding of true privacy after having worked for years as spies.

“No, I thought about it,” he finally answered slowly, not sure how much he wanted to reveal. But even those simple words were kind of a relief to say. “I don’t hear them yet.”

Some people might have looked at him with some pity at this part because at 24, Richard was getting closer and closer to never hear a soulmate, but Merlin only nodded and asked him how he kept finding all his songs.

They kept on talking for a long while, long enough for Harry to come fetch his friend for dinner and invite Richard along.

*

A few days later, when he got the folder for his next mission, he noticed a section that had never been there before and after taking a closer look, Richard chuckled fondly.

_List of songs about the city_

He would have to make sure to warn Merlin about Harry’s next prank in thanks for not having to do the research himself.

*

Richard was on his way back from a mission in Poland in a _borrowed_ car when he heard it for the first time.

For a second, he thought that he had somehow turned on the radio, until he realised that the voice he was hearing was only in his head. Well, in his head and wherever his soulmate currently was, but since that wherever was not the car, it was all a pretty moot point.

_Paris holds the key to your heart_  
_And all of Paris plays a part_

The message couldn’t be clearer and he didn’t fight off his smile when he tapped on his glasses to contact Merlin.

“Percival, if you are being arrested by the police, you’re going to have to wait to be bailed out, I have my hand full with Galahad and Bors’ missions.”

“Can I do anything?”

“The last thing anyone wants is to add another Knight to either of their situation.”

“Alright. Well, just wanted to let you know, I’ll be taking a few days off in Paris, but I’ll get my glasses on if you need me.”

*

The first thing he did once he makes it to the city limits was to start singing a song about it too, letting his soulmate knows he’d arrived. He hadn’t heard anything else since that song but that could mean any number of things.

He drove for a while aimlessly, waiting for another clue from his soulmate to narrow his search, but he had no choice but to come to the conclusion no help was coming from this end after an hour. He ditched the car and found one of those little cafe with a little stage where people who were actively looking for their soulmates could sing in the hopes someone in the crowd would recognize their voices.

Richard looked at the other patrons, trying to find a young man who could potentially be the one he’d heard not a few hours before, but he had no such luck. All the men present were too old to be his soulmate and so he didn’t bother to go and sing himself.

He waited until the cafe closed, then found himself a room and waited all night, hoping to hear another word.

He didn’t.

He stayed in Paris a week, just in case, but he’d already given up.

He didn’t know what had happened, probably never would, but something obviously made his soulmate change his mind about meeting him and Richard could only accept it.

“ _London calling to the faraway towns…_ ” He still sang the line when he made it back, letting whoever was out there for him know that his message had been received and Richard was back where he belongs, that he wouldn’t be attempting to find him anymore.

***

He hadn’t planned on ever singing again, at least not consciously and for months he doesn’t.

He heard his soulmate sometimes, little snippet of songs that cut off suddenly, probably when whoever it was remembered there was now someone who could hear him no matter the hour of the day. It was a mix of the current hits and songs from kid shows, his soulmate probably having a younger sibling.

The thought made him think maybe not meeting was the best decision after all. He was at least five years older than his soulmate and he couldn’t have missed how often he was moving around the world. He might not know about his work as a spy, but even had Richard simply been a successful businessman, how much time would he have to devote to his loved ones with such a busy schedule? That would have given pause to anyone.

Resigned as he now was, it took a while before he realised he’d been hearing the same song for a whole day. He’d learned to tune out anything that wasn’t mission related, even those songs that only served as a reminder that his soulmate wanted nothing to do with him.

He was confused for a moment, wondered if it was some cruel joke, but even hurt as he had been, he refused to believe his soulmate to be such a callous person.

_Scooby Dooby Doo where are you?_

Merlin didn’t ask him why he starts singing under his breath even though he should focus on running away from the gunmen, even if he did nothing to stifle his laughter. Not that Richard can really blame him. The song was pretty ridiculous given the circumstances.

_K-k-k-k-k-k Katmandu_  
_I think that’s really where I’m going to_

He’d finally found someplace to hide when he finished his song and for a chilling moment, he only heard complete silence.

_It’s hard for me to say I’m sorry_  
_I just want you to stay_

***

Richard started singing whenever he left and whenever he came back again, letting his soulmate know where he was in the world at all time.

He never got a location back, but the songs now clearly reflects the state of mind of his soulmate. He was sad and afraid more often than Richard would have liked, sounded so _alone_ , but there were moments of joy and the children songs he heard on a somewhat regular basis were one of the very few things that can make him smile without his wanting to.

He’d probably never meet his soulmate, never know the details of his life, but it’d have to be enough.

He might not have anyone to come back home to, but someone was definitely worrying about him and it was all the motivation he needed to be what Merlin called the most sensible agent they have.

*

Their new Lancelot was an annoying little shit and Richard was saying it after years of friendship with Harry Hart.

But he was also a kind man, always ready to smile and make others laugh, immensely proud of his little sister he’d been raising by himself since their parents’ death and, Richard had to admit it, in possession of a definite charm. Harry now had competition when it came to flirting. And good looks.

James Morton might not be quite as vain as Harry, but he knew he looked good and wasn’t above flaunting it.

Not that Richard was complaining about that last. He wasn’t quite ogling James, but he was definitely appreciative of his body and James only preened and sent him a wink anytime he would catch his eyes wandering on him.

Still, no matter how much they flirted together, the two of them had an entirely different idea of how to do their work and Richard had to wonder what had passed through Arthur’s head to decide to send them both on a joint mission.

Not enough to try and convince their leader to pair him off with someone else though. He was a firm believer of choosing his battles and this one definitely wasn’t worth the effort.

He just hoped the journey to San Francisco wouldn’t be too tedious. Sure he got along fine with James, but it was one thing to let the man flirt at him whenever they cross path at HQ, and quite another to spend 10 hours in close quarters.

Already, the fact Lancelot was running late felt like a bad omen for their mission, even if it did left him some time to sing his next destination to his soulmate.

_I left my heart in San Francisco_  
_High on a hill, it calls to me_

It was only when he finished singing that he realised he was no longer alone, that James had gotten in the plane but he was frozen in his spot for some reason, staring at him with his mouth opened in shock. Richard could feel himself blush, self-conscious at having been caught in what he considered a private moment.

Before he could say anything however, James whispered two words he had given up on ever hearing.

“It’s you.”

Needless to say, their mission went so smoothly Merlin feared it was a sign of the near apocalypse.

***

Everything didn’t magically become perfect after this of course.

They might have been soulmates, but they were also basically strangers.

There were things to be explained, like how James had only found out his soulmate could finally hear him after he had sung that song from a kid movie to amuse his little sister and had panicked when he had realised how his soulmate had interpreted it. How he hadn’t known how to apologize for his mistake, how he hadn’t been ready to deal with this new development in his life, not when he was already dealing with the loss of his parents and he now had a kid sister to look out for.

How he had never wanted to meet because, he couldn’t believe that someone who would go halfway across the world on a regular basis would want to be shackled down to them. Even with Roxy in a boarding school most of the year now, James was still her primary caregiver and he now had spywork on top of everything.

And Richard might have always wanted to meet his soulmate, but the reality of finally having someone physically in his life once more was completely different to the fantasy. He had to accept he would never be the first person in James’ life because of Roxy, had to change life-long habits, learn to trust him enough to let him in.

It was hard work a relationship, but work that he was willing to put in, work that was more rewarding than anything in his life.

He would never have imagined himself being content to spend summer nights on the sofa, a little girl cuddling between him and his soulmate, watching kid movies and singing all the duets out loud to amuse the kid.

But this was his life now and he would do anything to keep it that way.

***

Richard would have preferred to stay at HQ for the duration of the recruits’ tests, but evil waited for no man and Chester King didn’t care that he had just lost his partner and that the young woman who was his daughter in all but blood was starting the most dangerous job interview in the world. Not that he doubted Roxy for a second, but he couldn’t help but worry.

He opened the file he had been given during his briefing just to be thorough and make sure a detail hadn’t been forgotten during the meeting and tried to lose himself into the reading during take off.

He choked on a sob when he reached the last part of the folder, Merlin probably having too busy with the events of the past few days to think of removing it. It’s not like Richard had any used to it anymore.

There was no one anymore to hear about what should have been the secret destination of his missions.

But all Knights had their own little superstitions and this act had been part of his pre-mission rituals for so long, he started feeling uneasy the longer he went without singing. And he knew it was ridiculous, but Roxy had just lost her big brother, it wouldn’t do for him to tempt the devil into taking him from the young woman too.

_Some day in the sky we’ll see the same sun on the rise yeah_  
_Wherever you go_  
_Far as Tokyo_  
_I can say…_  
_I’ll see you again_


End file.
